Helen Richards-Nethercutt (born September 12, 1952) is an American businesswoman and

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

philanthropist.

Career

Helen Wilkins was born in 1952 in

Buckingham, Illinois Buckingham is a village in Kankakee County, Illinois, United States. The population was 300 at the 2010 census, up from 237 at the 2000 census. The village is about 63.7 miles south west of Chicago Illinois. It is included in the Kankakee-Bradl ...

and graduated from Herscher High School in 1969. She married U.S. Army specialist John Richards and adopted the name Helen Richards. They had two children, Travis and an autistic son Trent. In 1980 she had a divorce and moved to

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, where she worked at a grocery store and would meet

Jack Nethercutt II Jack Boison Nethercutt II (born December 22, 1936) is an American businessman and former professional racing driver. He notably used #102 and competed in the World Sportscar Championship and USAC Road Racing Championship. He is the second owner ...

whom she later married. The couple operated a luxury restaurant named Boison's near the

Las Vegas Strip The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas Boulevard South in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about long, and is immediately south of ...

, which won a LVRJ Best of Las Vegas award. In 2004 they were passed down

Merle Norman Cosmetics Merle Norman Cosmetics Inc. or simply known as Merle Norman, is an American multinational cosmetics company that manufactures skin care and makeup products founded in 1931 by Merle Norman. The company is known for pioneering the "try before you ...

and the

Nethercutt Collection The Nethercutt Collection is a multi-storied museum and car collection complex located in Sylmar, Los Angeles, Sylmar, California. It was founded by J.B. Nethercutt in 1971 and its centerpiece is the prestigious automobile collection of the Nether ...

from Jack's father,

J.B. Nethercutt Jack Boison Nethercutt (October 11, 1913 – December 6, 2004) was an American entrepreneur and car collector. He co-founded Merle Norman Cosmetics in 1931 with his aunt Merle Norman and started as a delivery peddler for her early products, later ...

. She became a financial contributor for the

USC Trojans The USC Trojans are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC), located in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ' ...

athletic program and donated for the

Galen Center The Galen Center is a multipurpose indoor arena and athletic facility owned and operated by the University of Southern California. Located at the southeast corner of Jefferson Boulevard and Figueroa Street in the Exposition Park (Los Angeles), Exp ...

Merle Norman Stadium Merle Norman Stadium is a beach volleyball facility located in Los Angeles, California, United States. The on-campus USC facility, built in 2013, serves as the home of the USC Trojans women's beach volleyball team. The facility has three sand co ...

Uytengsu Aquatics Center The Uytengsu Aquatics Center (originally the McDonald's Olympic Swim Stadium) is a 2,500-seat outdoor aquatics venue located on the campus of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, USA. The facility features two pools: a long cours ...

, and the

Spirit of Troy The USC Trojan Marching Band, also known as the Spirit of Troy, represents the University of Southern California (USC) at various collegiate sports, broadcast, popular music recording, and national public appearance functions. The Spirit of ...

marching band.

Autism charity

She has donated to several autism schools and charities within

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, and

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. She became a major financial contributor to the Exceptional Children's Foundation (ECF) based in

Culver City, California Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. Founded in 1917 as a "whites only" sundown town, it is now an ethnically diverse city with what was called the "third-most d ...

References

External links

* https://uscwot.exposure.co/helen-nethercutt {{DEFAULTSORT:Nethercutt, Helen Autism activists Nethercutt-Richards family American women in business Living people 1952 births 21st-century American women